It’s been a damn good year for comic book media. Perhaps the biggest advances have been in the realm of television. Once the black sheep of the entertainment industry, TV is now the go-to for intricately plotted, nuanced and serialized drama. Add to that the continuing dominance of comic book movies and it’s no surprise that countless properties continue to be optioned and adapted.
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The most surprising thing about this title is that it technically started in 1990. So that means the main character, Cal McDonald, has been around for over 24 years. Yet most comic book readers would be at a loss to know anything about it. Were it on Jeopardyit would be the awkward question everyone quietly stared at their feet for until time ran out and Alex Trebek read the answer off his cue card.
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This television season is nearing its mid point (when did mid-season finales become a thing? Seems recent to me) and as such a lot of shows are going on winter hiatus. Thus, it feels like a good time to check in and see how everything’s progressing.
The Flash
I think this is the probably been the most consistent show in its first season. It quickly and easily established its tone in the pilot as well as the season-long storyline. There haven’t been any major revelations or changes to the status quo as of yet, and that’s fine. Arrow built up a pretty impressive world within its first couple of seasons. The Flash has taken that world and (literally) run with it. The introduction of Barry back in Arrow‘s second season kind of feels like the Nick Fury stinger scene in Iron Man, in retrospect. Now, we get to see how cool this newly expanded universe can be. The show skews a bit on the formulaic side for now, but its episodic nature only enhances the “comic-bookishness” of it for me. It’s amazing how much more natural a “villain of the week” story can feel when said villains are culled from DC’s long history of characters. Speaking of characters, the actors on this show do a hell of a job. Grant Gustin’s Barry is just idealistic enough to be loveable but doesn’t come off as naïve. Jesse L. Martin’s Det. West has become the soul of the show as his mentorly relationship with Barry has progressed. And then there’s Dr. Wells. Speculation has been rampant as to just what is motivating Tom Cavanagh’s character. I guess we’ll see.
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| The League’s core, circa 2006. |
Back in 2007 DC had absolutely no idea what they were doing with their film properties. Nearly all of their characters were stuck in development hell and they had a serious lack of overall vision for any of their franchises. The sole exception was Nolan’s Dark Knight Trilogy. So, with no idea how to sell any of their singular characters, DC decided to start at the top and work down in creating their cinematic universe. They’d start with the Justice League property and then spin-off individual films based on the heroes from there. All things considered, it’s not a terrible approach. They would know what worked and what didn’t before hundreds of millions were spent on a character that no one cared about (just think, they could have avoided Green Lantern had they taken this path). So, in 2007 they commissioned a script, hired George Miller as a director and assembled a cast for Justice League: Mortal, the film that almost was. This will be an in-depth, two-part look at the plot, cast, characters and circumstances around this film’s inception and destruction. Also, I feel I need to add a spoiler warning…I guess. I dunno? Do you need spoiler warnings for unproduced screenplays?
The recent theatrical adaptation of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles got a fair amount of criticism from fans. Some justified, some not. Sure, it wasn’t what most intelligent people would consider “good” but after reading some initial drafts, I can honestly say that it could have been much worse. Speaking of worse:
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| BEHOLD! |
I am easily the biggest Hellblazer fan that I know. This isn’t intended to sound like a boast, but I own John Constantine’s first appearance in Swamp Thing, all 300 issues of the ongoing title and every single crossover, special, miniseries, guest-spot and novel that the Vertigo character has been featured in. Again, I’m not trying to brag (well, maybe a little), I just want you to understand the respect and reverence I have for this character.
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Marvel’s God of Thunder doesn’t have a whole lot in common with the original Asgardian hammer-wielder. Sure, the name and basics are the same but many of the specifics have been changed to create something almost entirely different that stands on its own. It’s a testament to the talent of the people involved with his creation (and marketing!) that saying the name “Thor” conjures images of the comic character rather than his mythical basis to just about everyone (experts in Norse culture notwithstanding). And yet, it seems that it’s only been recently that he’s been given a whole lot of attention outside of the page. Sure, he’s had many a guest-appearance but he rarely starred in anything.
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| Thor’s most enduring look. |
Much like the Norse myth, Marvel’s Thor is the son of Odin and hails from Asgard. His brother, Loki is often his antagonist and the two have fought (and made up) multiple times throughout the decades. His adventures have featured a strong supporting cast such as The Warriors Three, Lady Sif, Baldur and Heimdall (many of which are also based upon Norse gods). It didn’t take him long to join the ranks of the Earth’s Mightiest Heroes (he debuted in Journey into Mystery in 1962 and was present with the Avengers for their first adventure in 1963), ever since he’s been closely associated with them. He has gone through various re-designs, re-interpretations and even a death or two. But what’s always been at the core of the character is the fact that he’s a hero in the most classical sense. He may not always be polite or humble, but he uses his godly strength to defend humanity from otherworldly threats. Since most people are at least passingly familiar with his role in the Marvel Universe (and since his history is so extensive), I’ll leave it at that. This ain’t Wikipedia.
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For better or worse, it is impossible to discuss The Flash without first addressing the series that laid the groundwork for it. In its first couple of seasons, Arrow has established a definitively serious tone for its cast of characters. I think, overall, it works for the series. It’s dealing with a younger, angrier Oliver Queen who has far more self-doubt than is typically seen in the comics (at least prior to that whole “New 52” thing). As such, the tone fits his character. In season two, when the future-Flash Barry Allen was introduced and it was announced that he would be getting his own spin-off series, I was a little hesitant due to said tone. Barry has always been a character known for being (for lack of a better term) a “good” guy. So how would his character work in a world that’s as somber and dour as Arrow’s? Well, the two-parter that introduced him answered that question partially, and it turns out it’s “pretty well, actually”. The character is still the same old Barry from the comics. He’s sincere and good-hearted, just updated to better reflect the world that we live in currently, which makes perfect sense.
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Guest Writer Extraordinaire Brian Baer provided this look at a Marvel character who has had a whopping zeroo appearances in expanded media. Where’s the Kung Fu love, Marvel?
Writing about Marvel, especially characters who haven’t been adapted yet, isn’t easy. Pre-Iron Man, movies and other media based on Marvel’s characters were as hit-or-miss as DC’s. Since then it’s become a different story. Not only are audiences being treated to high quality films, the Cinematic Universe’s scope is almost too comprehensive to allow Monday Morning Quarterbacking. But this is the internet, after all. So, I’ll give it a shot.
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This year sees an unprecedented amount of comic book characters being adapted to the small screen. When you add new shows to returning series like Arrow, Walking Dead and Agents of SHIELD, it sure looks like comics are primed to dominate this medium in the same way they have movie screens for the last decade or so. As such, now seems like the perfect time to launch a new column that takes a look at comic-book-based pilots. I’ve reviewed a couple so far, but they have been for shows that weren’t picked up or were never actually aired. With this column, I want to focus on shows that did go to series and see how well they establish their tone, characters and future storylines.
Comic Book Media 